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	<p id="pTitle">SPARROW Surface Water-Quality Modeling</p>
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<p class="uppernav">
<span class="uppernavbutton" style="margin-left:3px;"><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; NAWQA Home</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="FAQs/faq.html#1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Model Description</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3019/">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fact Sheet</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/dss/">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Decision Support System</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="FAQs/faq.html">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FAQs</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/tm6b3/">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Documentation</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="sparrow-mod.html">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Software</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="intro/pubs.html">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Publications</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="intro/contacts.html">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Contacts</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="intro/qw2438a.doc">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Training</a></span>
<span class="uppernavbutton"><a href="mrb/sparrow_mrb.html">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Regional MRB Studies</a></span>
</p> 

<br>
<b>SPARROW</b>, a modeling tool for the regional interpretation of water-quality monitoring data.
The model relates in-stream water-quality measurements to spatially referenced
    characteristics of watersheds, including contaminant sources and factors
    influencing terrestrial and aquatic transport.  
SPARROW empirically estimates the origin and fate of contaminants 
    in river networks and quantifies uncertainties in model predictions.
<p>

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<table ><tr>

<!-- LEFT COLUMN -->
<td valign="top" bgcolor="#D8E1ED" width="300" >
<!-- bgcolor="#a2cbba" "669966" "CCCC99"  bordercolor="#336699" border-width: 5px -->
<br>

  <!-- Stream estimates of flux -->
 <center><font size=2 color="darkblue"><b>Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basins</b></font></center><br>
  <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3019/">
 <center><img src="tpdeliv.jpg" alt="Phosphorus Yield in the Mississippi River Basin" width="279" height="456" style="border: 1px black solid;"> </a>
 </center>
<r>
  <font size=2 color="darkblue">
<p>
&nbsp;&nbsp;SPARROW tracks nutrient delivery locally<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;to the outlets of inland watersheds and<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;regionally to coastal waters. Differences<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;in the spatial patterns between the two<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;maps illustrate the effects of phosphorus<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;removal in streams and reservoirs on the<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;quantities of phosphorus delivered locally<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;to streams vs. those delivered regionally<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;to the Gulf of Mexico from inland <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;watersheds.[<a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3019/">Read more</a> about these<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;and other SPARROW results]<br>

</font>
<p>
<br>
<!-- RELATED LINKS -->
&nbsp;&nbsp;<font size=3 color="darkblue" ><b>Related Links:</b></font><br>
<font size=2 color="darkblue">
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/">NAWQA Home Page </a></b><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/nutrient.html">NAWQA Nutrients Synthesis Program </a></b><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/modeling/">NAWQA Modeling and Software </a></b><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://sitemaker.umich.edu/chrpwe">Coastal Hypoxia Research Project</a><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.denitrification.org/">Denitrification Research Coord. Network</a><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;SPARROW Workshop: <a href="http://water.usgs.gov/orh/nrwww/sparrow-workshop2002.html">October 2002</a></b><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa-only/sparrow/index.html">SPARROW Internal Web Page </a></b>
</font>

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<td width="1%" valign="left"> </td>

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<!-- RECENT ACTIVITIES -->

  <ul><font size=3 color="darkblue">
  <b>RECENT ACTIVITIES</b></font>
  <p>
  <font size=2>

  <li><img src="icons/new.gif" alt="new" border=0> 
  <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5167/">Sources, fate, and transport of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Chesapeake Bay watershed</a>
  <br>

  <li><img src="icons/new.gif" alt="new" border=0> 
  <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3114/">Summary of the regional modeling results and enhanced modeling capabilities</a>
  <br>

  <li><img src="icons/new.gif" alt="new" border=0> 
<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/mrb/">Regional SPARROW model assessments</a> for the United States
  <br>

  <li><img src="icons/new.gif" alt="new" border=0> 
<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/dss/">SPARROW Online Decision Support System</a>
  <br>

  <li><img src="icons/new.gif" alt="new" border=0> 
<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jawr.2011.47.issue-5/issuetoc">SPARROW Featured Collection </a>in the 
Journal of the American Water Resources Association<br>
  <li> 
A model of <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1276/">organic carbon</a> in streams of United States
  <br>
  <li>
Sources of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00450.x/abstract">suspended sediment</a> in streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed

</ul>

<br>

<!-- SELECTED APPLICATIONS -->

  <ul><font size=3 color="darkblue"> <b>APPLICATIONS</b></font>
<p>
  <font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>The National Models </b> </font>
<br> 
 <font size=2>

  <li> <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1276/">Organic carbon</a> in U.S. streams
<br>
  <li> <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1205/">Suspended sediment</a> in U.S. streams
<br>
  <li><a href="intro/pubs.html#1">Natural background concentrations</a> of nutrients in U.S. streams
<br>
  <li><a href="coast/agu_sparrow.html">Atmospheric sources of nitrogen</a> to estuaries of the United States
<br>
  <li><a href="nut_sources/nut_sources.htm">Sources of nutrients</a> in the Nation's streams (model <a href="wrr97/results.html">predictions</a> for HUC watersheds)
<br>
  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/briefing_sheet2.pdf">Moving from Monitoring to Prediction: </a> The Quality of the Nation's Streams 
<br>
  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/biogeochem/">Studies of denitrification and nitrogen removal in streams</a>
<p>
</font>


<p>
  <font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>The Regional Models</b> </font>
<br> 
 <font size=2>
<li><a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3114/">Summary of the major results and enhanced modeling capabilities</a>
<br>
<li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/mrb/">Regional SPARROW model assessments</a> for the United States
<br>
<li><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jawr.2011.47.issue-5/issuetoc">SPARROW Featured Collection </a>in the 
Journal of the American Water Resources Association<br>
<p>
</font>


  <font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>Nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin</b> </font>
<br> 
 <font size=2>
   <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/">Phosphorus and nitrogen delivery</a> to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin<br>
  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/nutrient_yields/">Rankings of watershed nutrient yields</a> in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin<br>
  <li><a href="nature/nature.html">Effect of stream channel size on nitrogen</a> delivery to the Gulf of Mexico
<p>
</font>


<font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>Nutrients in the Northeast</b> </font>
<font size=2>
<br>
        <li>Regional total nitrogen and phosphorus <a href="http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/SIR20045012">models</a>
<br>
        <li><a href="http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118544622/abstract">The role of headwater streams</a>
		in downstream water quality
<br>
        <li>New England SPARROW <a href="http://nh.water.usgs.gov/projects/sparrow/">data viewer</a>
<br>
        <li>New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission 
        (<a href="http://www.neiwpcc.org/NEsparrow/">NEIWPCC</a>)
<br>
        <li>U.S. Environmental Protection Agency <a href="http://www.epa.gov/ne/eco/tmdl/regionalpgrfs.html">Region 1 Project</a>

<p>
</font>
<font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>Chesapeake Bay Watershed</b><br></font>
<font size=2>
       <li>Sources, fate, and transport of <a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5167/">nitrogen and phosphorus</a> in the Chesapeake Bay watershed<br>
       <li>Sources of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00450.x/abstract">suspended sediment in streams </a><br>
       <li>Application of the <a href="chesbay/ches.html"> national nutrient models</a><br>
       <li>A regional <a href="http://md.water.usgs.gov/publications/wrir-99-4054">nitrogen model</a><br>
       <li>Nutrient models for the <a href="http://md.water.usgs.gov/gis/chesbay/SPARROW.htm"> late 1980s and the 1990s</a>
<br>
      </font>

<p>
<font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>Nutrients in the Southeast</b><br></font>
<font size=2>
       <li>Sources and transport of <a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pubs/nitrogen_loads/">nitrogen</a> and 
<a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pubs/phosphorus_streams/">phosphorus</a> in streams <br>
       <li>A Bayesian<a href="intro/Qianetal_2005WR003986.pdf"> SPARROW nitrogen model</a><br>
       <li>Support of TMDL programs in North Carolina using <a href="http://ascelibrary.aip.org/getpdf/servlet/GetPDFServlet?filetype=pdf&id=JWRMD5000129000004000315000001&idtype=cvips&prog=normal">SPARROW</a>
<br>
      </font>

<p>
<font size=2 color="darkblue">
  <b>Salinity in the Southwest</b> <br></font>
<font size=2>
     <li>Sources and sinks of <a href="http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/studies/mrb/salinity.html">dissolved solids</a><br>
</font>

</ul>
<br>

<!-- HYDROLOGIC DATA -->
  <ul><font size=3 color="darkblue"><b>SELECTED MODEL INPUT DATA</b></font>
 <p>
  <font size=2>
  <li><a href="wrr97/geograp/geograp.html">Hydrologic cataloging unit 
       watersheds</a>

  <li>River reaches of the conterminous U.S. - USGS Enhanced River Reach File:<br>
      <a href=http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?erf1_2>version 2.0 (ERF1-2)</a>
      <a href="http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?erf1">version 1.2 (ERF1)</a>; 

  <li><a href="http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/DDS37">Stream water-quality measurements (on-line; CD-ROM)</a> 
 
  <li><a href="wrr97/point/point.html">Municipal and industrial point sources</a>

  <li><a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1990/ofr90130/">Fertilizer
       use</a>

  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?manure">Livestock nutrient wastes</a>

  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?ussoils">Soil characteristics - 
       State Soil Geographic Data (STATSGO)</a>

  <li><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?climate_div">Precipitation and air
       temperature</a>
  </font>
</ul>
<p>
<br>

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